While we wouldn’t recommend fly fishing naked, too many sharp hooks flying around, this photo, by J. Johnson, does capture your attention. This comes from Patagonia’s website.
Those of you who know our book, know that Patagonia is one of those companies at the “Top of Their Game” when it comes to sustainability. Also, those of you who use the products probably know the story of how Patagonia got started when founder Yvon Chouinard felt that the current pitons were harming the rocks he was climbing and invented a more environmentally friendly piton. But what you may not know relates to fly fishing.
Well, you may ask, “Why is fly fishing relevant to me?” It may not be per sec, but while Rich and I are both fishermen, I am a fly fisherman bordering on fanaticism and obsession. Fly fishing may also be why I was drawn to project management or vice versa. You see, fly fishing to me is about the process; fly tying, getting ready for a trip, the precision gear, the anatomy of a river, stream, pond or lake, rather than catching fish. Although I do catch my fair share and practice catch and release. But that is getting a little off track.
In the most recent edition of Fly Fishing in Saltwater, there is small article about Patagonia continuing there sustainability efforts entitled “Patagonia – Green to the Extreme.” While I don’t think it is so extreme, more of a necessity, Patagonia is undertaking an effort to eliminatepaper catalogs. What a great thought! Tired of getting your mailbox stuffed with catalogs, especially around Christmas time? Patagonia has published their second e-catalog. While it does have the feel of a magazine, it can do so much more, especially with its videos. And, it is not only green, but the way I figure it, helps the company’s bottom-line.
The Environmental Defense Fund’s paper calculator estimates that Patagonia will save 1.5 million gallons of waste water, 220,860 pounds of
solid waste, 1,222 trees, and almost 600,000 pounds of CO2. While there are some development costs for the e-catalog, I am sure that the savings far outweigh those costs; thereby adding to the company’s bottom-line, and fitting well into the Triple Botton Line (People, Planet, Profits). I for one love the products and proudly display a Patagonia decal on the window of my SUV. Yes, I told you I tend to lean a little toward the Hummer side of the spectrum. But I’d have trouble towing my boat to the water or my trailer full of yard waste to the composting facility with a Prius. Although for trips other than to go fishing/boating or towing I do have a much more efficient vehicle, trading in a gas guzzler for that. Anyway, it is not about me, or maybe it is, my being a fly fisherman.
On page two of the catalog there is a “commitment” to fly fishing where they say that they spent untold hours on research and development to ensure that the products they povide are the finest that can be produced so that fly fishermen can concentrate on the sport rather than on the “vagaries of Mother Nature.” And, all is done in a sustainable way. Be assured that the e-catalog is not the only effort to reduce their impact on the environment. The World Trout® Initiative, is addressing the following issues: “overfishing and destruction of habitat threaten trout populations worldwide. Humans are the cause, though they may also be trout’s saviors.” Read more about the World Trout® Initiative. (The picture below is also from Patagonia’s website.)
I can only quote Robert Travers (better known for his novel “Anatomy of a Murder”);
“I fish because I love to. Because I love the environs where trout are found, which are invariably
beautiful, and hate the environs where crowds of people are found, which are
invariably ugly. Because of all the television commercials, cocktail parties,
and assorted social posturing I thus escape. Because in a world where most men
seem to spend their lives doing what they hate, my fishing is at once an
endless source of delight and an act of small rebellion. Because trout do not
lie or cheat and cannot be bought or bribed, or impressed by power, but respond
only to quietude and humility, and endless patience. Because I suspect that men
are going this way for the last time and I for one don’t want to waste the
trip. Because mercifully there are no telephones on trout waters. Because in
the woods I can find solitude without loneliness. … And finally, not because
I regard fishing as being so terribly important, but because I suspect that so
many of the other concerns of men are equally unimportant and not nearly so
much fun.”
Let’s try to keep it that way.
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One look at the huge ship (612 feet long) and you knew it was something special. It was backed up to the middle bridge of the Piscataqua River and loomed over the roadway. How to handle the ship and its cargo is a project. The Port Director at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, considered the project as a new opportunity, and we considered it as spawned from a Green by Definition (GbD) project. First a little about the GbD project. Granite Reliable Power Park is a wind farm project in northern New Hampshire. It consists of 33 Vesta V90 3 Mw wind turbines, only the second U.S. wind project to deploy these turbines. It will generate 330,000 MWH, enough to power 40,000 homes and offset 332 million pounds of carbon dioxide. In addition, the project will generate more that 200 jobs.
Section 24
We’d like to start with something fundamental and impressive: the South African Constitution.
An organization – or in this case, a large country – has to start somewhere. Clearly, South Africa still has problems, but at least there is a vibrant vision in place. In fact, their vision is somewhat, well, visionary. In fact, it’s one of the few, if not the only country that states environmental rights so explicitly in their Constitution. It’s right there, Section 24 in Chapter 2, under the Bill of Rights.
Even the US State Department recognizes this in their “Background Note” on South Africa.
It gets very personal. In fact, one of the speakers at the “Good in Green” conference in Durban specifically indicated that she – as a director of a company which is involved in construction in South Africa – is legally responsible for her actions with response to the environment and can personally face stiff fines and time in prison for irresponsible environmental actions. You can read more about how the Constitution becomes “active” in this document called “EnviroCrimes“.
In this document, the government answers the question, “what are we protecting?”:
The environment extends from our everyday surroundings to our whole beautiful country. South Africa’s rivers and wetlands, its mountains and plains, its estuaries and oceans, its magnificent coastline and landscapes all contain an exceptionally rich and varied array of life forms. In fact, our country ranks as the third most biologically diverse country in the world and is the only country to have an entire plant kingdom within its national boundaries.
And they also answer the question, “why is it important to prosecute offenders?”:
Environmental crime has serious social and economic impacts on the daily lives of our people. For example, the pollution of groundwater can cause cancer in adults and children, while illegal fishing can cause the stock of a particular fish species to fall, resulting in job losses for honest fishers.
So, let’s get to it. Here it is, directly from the South African Constitution:
Section 24: Environment
Everyone has the right to:
The government must pass laws that:
You can read more about this element of the South African Constitution at this site.
So, you’re asking, maybe, what’s the connection to project management?
There are several that come immediately to mind: